Well, excepting, how do you have a conversation with someone who doesn't agree with your basic premise at all:

"I'm left wondering why "we" have to invoke god at all; moral leadership doesn't need to involve god."

Someone who doesn't (can't even!) understand how someone could possibly arrive at aforementioned premise. It seems easier to me (perhaps I am wrong?) to conceive of this religious mindset from an agnostic/atheistical/humanist standpoint than vice-versa, if you see what I mean. And then, why not use that language and that mindset to communicate with that group of people?

The question, to my mind, is not Does the religious viewpoint have value? but How do you tap into that value which the religious viewpoint expresses? (eg, social justice, etc.)

I mostly just found it interesting that a Christian (theologian?) writer came up with a theory to describe the prez's behavior which is far more compelling and convincing than the "Bush is a dummy" meme.

To extremify the example: if I'm having a debate with someone who is speaking in Latin, what would it profit me to attempt to answer them in English? Of couse I would reply in Latin, IF I COULD. I would suggest that the language of the religious and the language of the secular are two completely different languages.

Could this be why you're weirded out by it?